Buffalo Ball Drop Returns To Downtown For 23rd Year

The 23rd annual “Buffalo Ball Drop & Fireworks Display” at the Iskalo Electric Tower is back, to ring in 2011!

This year, get ready for a special show and concert so Western New York can celebrate together. Key donors stepped-up once again to make sure the annual tradition continues, and show the thousands of guests from around the world here for the World Junior Hockey Tournament how Buffalo rings in the New Year.

A live concert featuring local band, “More Than Me,” who opened for Paul McCartney in London this summer, will headline this year’s stage performances.

It will be fun for the whole family when Dennis George, ”The Quizmaster”, takes the stage at 10:30pm in Roosevelt Plaza. Test your skill while he engages the crowd with a fast-paced trivia show to warm-up early revelers coming from First Night prior to the concert start.

“This is a truly exciting event for Buffalo, which continues to attract thousands of people into the heart of downtown to welcome in the New Year,” said Mayor Brown. “Now in its 23rd year, the Ball Drop celebration this year will be filled with great entertainment and fun events, culminating in the countdown to the New Year and topped off with a spectacular fireworks show. With the addition of thousands of visitors from around the country and world coming to Buffalo for the World Junior Hockey Tournament, we expect this to be a very memorable and fun-filled celebration.”

The Police Athletic League of Buffalo, one of the event producers along with Iskalo Development and WKBW Channel 7, is pleased to announce all necessary funding has been secured for this year’s production.

"The Buffalo Ball Drop is a twenty plus year tradition for the community, and our viewers. Channel 7 is proud to continue that tradition in making good things happen for the Police Athletic League, our sponsors, viewers, and everyone who attends this exciting event," notes Channel 7 President and General Manager Bill Ransom.

The “Countdown To 2011” special will air on WKBW-DT beginning at 11pm Friday December 31st, showcasing all the excitement from Times Square and the Buffalo Ball Drop & Fireworks display.

Independent Health has been an anchor sponsor for many Ball Drop events over the years. Once again, Independent Health has come forward to continue this Buffalo tradition, the second largest such event in the United States. Michael W. Cropp, M.D. President and Chief Executive Officer stated, “Independent Health has sponsored the Buffalo Ball Drop for more than a decade and we’re pleased to continue supporting this great community event to ring in the New Year in downtown Buffalo. The Buffalo Ball Drop has been a community tradition for more than 20 years and we’re grateful to the many organizations and individuals dedicated to continue this tradition in downtown Buffalo. We recognize the New Year is a time for making resolutions, setting new goals, and making a fresh start. This often starts with more exercise, eating right and taking better care of yourself. Take a step toward a healthier life this year and let it begin with the Buffalo Ball Drop on New Year's Eve.”

The fireworks show, shot from the top of the Electric Tower, will once again be orchestrated by the Skylighters of WNY. For 2011, the Chevy Dealers of WNY have signed on to sponsor this spectacular fireworks show, one of the most unique in the country displayed in an urban setting.

Returning sponsors also include Upstate New York Transplant Services (UNYTS) and WGRF-FM 97 Rock.

Other sponsors include Veolia Water; and Local Edge Media.

Last year’s event was nearly postponed due to lack of a significant funding source necessary to cover the large production, security, fireworks, and ancillary costs of the Buffalo Ball Drop and Fireworks Display.

The Ball will drop in synch with its sister in New York’s Time Square, with the giant fireworks display starting immediately after the new year begins! The show is choreographed to classic rock and seasonal music favorites at multiple launch points on the Electric Tower.

A video presentation looking back over the last year will be played on Jumbotron screens, produced courtesy of WKBW-DT and Channel 7’s Eyewitness News, the official station of the Ball Drop for the entire twenty-two years.

A “test drop” of the Ball will be held at 535 Washington Street, in front of the Electric Tower at 12 noon Tuesday, December 28th.